How does fruit help the seeds inside it?
Seeds contained within fruits need to be dispersed far from the mother plant, so they may find favorable and less competitive conditions in which to germinate and grow. Some fruit have built-in mechanisms so they can disperse by themselves, whereas others require the help of agents like wind, water, and animals (Figure 1).
Is anything with seeds considered a fruit?
Technically, anything with seeds should be classified as a fruit. Radishes and lettuce don't have seeds, but squash do! Fruits are often so sweet because they contain plenty of fructose, which vegetables have little of. Even nuts are fruits!
Why do seeds grow inside some fruits?
Fruits develop from the ripened ovaries of plants, once the ovule (egg) or ovules inside the ovary has been fertilized. Because the fertilized ovule becomes the seed, and the ovary surrounding the ovule becomes the outside part of the fruit, fruits have seeds inside them.
Do seeds germinate inside the fruit?
Why Do Seeds Not Germinate in the Fruit? The dormant state is what prevents seeds from germinating in the fruit. Under normal circumstances, a seed must undergo a period of exposure to cold temperatures, before it will germinate when warm temperatures return. This helps the seeds of the fruit, including tomatoes, to survive through the winter.
Apples
One of the most common fruits in the world and one with plenty of different varieties growing across the globe, apples are a staple food of pretty much every global cuisine.
Pears
Very similar in flavor and texture to an apple, pears are another very common seedy fruit.
Figs
Native primarily to Western Asia and the Mediterranean, figs grow on fairly large trees with a series of several seeds growing inside.
Papayas
This particular seedy fruit boasts a very unique aesthetic and appears quite unusual compared to fruits that you’ll see in most North American supermarkets.
Kiwis
Sometimes referred to as Chinese gooseberry, the kiwi fruit is fairly commonplace in grocery stores across the world these days.
Oranges
Everybody in the world should be familiar with the orange fruit. If not, they will probably have seen or heard of one of the many varieties of orange that grow across the globe.
Watermelons
Another old wives tale exists about the consumption of watermelon seeds. It was once believed that eating them could grow an entire watermelon in a person’s stomach but this, of course, was soon found to be untrue.
Why are my watermelon seeds white?
White seeds are really just immature black seeds. They’re soft and almost translucent because they are only just beginning to grow and develop. The seeds are infertile, so they won’t sprout into a watermelon plant if you planted them. They are, however, so soft that they aren’t a bother to swallow along with the flesh. While you’ll find white seeds in regular, seeded watermelons, you’ll find even more in seedless watermelons, which were made to not produce mature seeds, so all the seeds in the fruit remain immature and white.
Can you cut open watermelon seeds?
Cut open a watermelon and you’ll see plenty of seeds — seedless or not. They may be black or white, but they’re seeds just the same. Is there a difference between the two colors? Do you have to spit out both?
Is it safe to eat black seeds from watermelon?
They’re mature, fertile seeds, so if you planted a few in the ground, they would indeed sprout into watermelon plants. While they’re thought to be too hard and therefore inedible, they are actually completely safe to consume.
